Doctor Who/Recap/S25/E04 The Greatest Show in the Galaxy: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''You're just an aging hippie, Professor.''|'''Ace'''}}
{{quote|''You're just an aging hippie, Professor.''|'''Ace'''}}


The Doctor and Ace head off to a circus that has, inexplicably, set up shop on a desert planet. They poke around a bit--buying gross food from a travelling vendor, chit-chatting with self-important adventurer Captain Cook and his companion Mags, trying to flag down a ride from a ''[[Mad Max]]'' extra--and utterly fail to notice that this is the sort of circus that people run away ''from''.
The Doctor and Ace head off to a circus that has, inexplicably, set up shop on a desert planet. They poke around a bit—buying gross food from a travelling vendor, chit-chatting with self-important adventurer Captain Cook and his companion Mags, trying to flag down a ride from a ''[[Mad Max]]'' extra—and utterly fail to notice that this is the sort of circus that people run away ''from''.


In fact, the circus has adopted the innovative cost-saving practice of imprisoning its customers and making ''them'' perform, with a penalty of death if the other customers--in particular, a jaded trio of mother, father, and little girl--are bored. So it is that Ace and the Doctor promptly find themselves backstage, in an unusually well-secured green room with Captain Cook, Mags, the [[Badass Biker]] guy, and a starstruck über-fan named WhizzKid.
In fact, the circus has adopted the innovative cost-saving practice of imprisoning its customers and making ''them'' perform, with a penalty of death if the other customers—in particular, a jaded trio of mother, father, and little girl—are bored. So it is that Ace and the Doctor promptly find themselves backstage, in an unusually well-secured green room with Captain Cook, Mags, the [[Badass Biker]] guy, and a starstruck über-fan named WhizzKid.


After much sneaking around in the circus's billowing tent backstage, the Doctor and Ace discover that it was once a free-spirited hippie circus of, like, ''love'' and ''joy'' and ''freedom'', man... until they settled down on this planet, where they apparently all had to register Republican and sign their circus over to evil gods. Guess they should have read the HOA fine print.
After much sneaking around in the circus's billowing tent backstage, the Doctor and Ace discover that it was once a free-spirited hippie circus of, like, ''love'' and ''joy'' and ''freedom'', man... until they settled down on this planet, where they apparently all had to register Republican and sign their circus over to evil gods. Guess they should have read the HOA fine print.
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The amulet gets destroyed, which takes out the circus in a giant fireball of evil gods and creepy clowns, and Sylvester McCoy [[Unflinching Walk|walks unflinchingly]], both in-character and in real life.
The amulet gets destroyed, which takes out the circus in a giant fireball of evil gods and creepy clowns, and Sylvester McCoy [[Unflinching Walk|walks unflinchingly]], both in-character and in real life.


{{tropelist|page=The Greatest Show in the Galaxy}}
=== Tropes ===
* [[Alien Lunch]]
* [[Alien Lunch]]
* [[Animorphism]]
* [[Animorphism]]
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* [[Miles Gloriosus]]: Captain Cook, a blustering braggart who is quick to pontificate about his many exploits, but [[Dirty Coward|makes sure to keep himself as far from danger as he can]]. It's a minor moment of awesome when, even as Cook has him penned in by a werewolf and at the mercy of the clowns, the Doctor finally has all he can stomach of Cook's tedious waffling and tells him to shut up.
* [[Miles Gloriosus]]: Captain Cook, a blustering braggart who is quick to pontificate about his many exploits, but [[Dirty Coward|makes sure to keep himself as far from danger as he can]]. It's a minor moment of awesome when, even as Cook has him penned in by a werewolf and at the mercy of the clowns, the Doctor finally has all he can stomach of Cook's tedious waffling and tells him to shut up.
* [[New Age Retro Hippie]]: Kingpin, Bellboy, Flower Child, ''et. al.''
* [[New Age Retro Hippie]]: Kingpin, Bellboy, Flower Child, ''et. al.''
* [[Psychopathic Manchild]]: The villains are [[Eldritch Abominations]] who need to be constantly entertained.
* [[Psychopathic Manchild]]: The villains are [[Eldritch Abomination]]s who need to be constantly entertained.
* [[Similar Squad]]: Captain Cook and Mags, for the Doctor and Ace.
* [[Similar Squad]]: Captain Cook and Mags, for the Doctor and Ace.
* [[Spot of Tea]]: Captain Cook is taking tea in every scene in which he appears. Even when the party is attacked by a [[Humongous Mecha]].
* [[Spot of Tea]]: Captain Cook is taking tea in every scene in which he appears. Even when the party is attacked by a [[Humongous Mecha]].
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* [[Unexplained Recovery]]: {{spoiler|Captain Cook}}
* [[Unexplained Recovery]]: {{spoiler|Captain Cook}}
* [[Unflinching Walk]]
* [[Unflinching Walk]]
* [[Wolf Man|Wolf Girl]]: As is common in ''[[Doctor Who]]''--see, for instance, [[Doctor Who/Recap/S18/E04 State of Decay|its]] [[Doctor Who/Recap/S26/E03 The Curse of Fenric|many]] [[Doctor Who/Recap/S31/E06 The Vampires of Venice|vampires]]--the specific variety of werewolf seen here has never been seen before and never will be again. Convergent evolution, we guess.
* [[Wolf Man|Wolf Girl]]: As is common in ''[[Doctor Who]]''—see, for instance, [[Doctor Who/Recap/S18/E04 State of Decay|its]] [[Doctor Who/Recap/S26/E03 The Curse of Fenric|many]] [[Doctor Who/Recap/S31/E06 The Vampires of Venice|vampires]]—the specific variety of werewolf seen here has never been seen before and never will be again. Convergent evolution, we guess.


{{reflist}}
{{recapfooter}}
[[Category:Recap]]
[[Category:Doctor Who]]
[[Category:Doctor Who/Recap]]
[[Category:Doctor Who/Recap]]

Latest revision as of 14:55, 20 July 2023
You're just an aging hippie, Professor.
—Ace

The Doctor and Ace head off to a circus that has, inexplicably, set up shop on a desert planet. They poke around a bit—buying gross food from a travelling vendor, chit-chatting with self-important adventurer Captain Cook and his companion Mags, trying to flag down a ride from a Mad Max extra—and utterly fail to notice that this is the sort of circus that people run away from.

In fact, the circus has adopted the innovative cost-saving practice of imprisoning its customers and making them perform, with a penalty of death if the other customers—in particular, a jaded trio of mother, father, and little girl—are bored. So it is that Ace and the Doctor promptly find themselves backstage, in an unusually well-secured green room with Captain Cook, Mags, the Badass Biker guy, and a starstruck über-fan named WhizzKid.

After much sneaking around in the circus's billowing tent backstage, the Doctor and Ace discover that it was once a free-spirited hippie circus of, like, love and joy and freedom, man... until they settled down on this planet, where they apparently all had to register Republican and sign their circus over to evil gods. Guess they should have read the HOA fine print.

Eventually, Ace and Mags go to dig a medium-sized mecha out of the desert, which they use to fend off the extremely creepy head clown. Now they just need to find and destroy the evil amulet controlling the circus, while the Doctor is left to amuse the Evil Gods of Entertainment.

The amulet gets destroyed, which takes out the circus in a giant fireball of evil gods and creepy clowns, and Sylvester McCoy walks unflinchingly, both in-character and in real life.

Tropes used in The Greatest Show in the Galaxy include:

Whizz Kid: Well yes, of course. I've never been able to visit it before now, but I've got all sorts of souvenirs. Copies of all the advertising satellites that have ever been sent out. All the posters. I had a long correspondence with one of the founder members too, soon after it started. Although I never got to see the early days, I know it's not as good as it used to be but I'm still terribly interested.

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